Hard To Be Popular
by waremono.Iv
Summary: Naoto had been trying hard to be popular for the last two years. Now during her third year of high school, she tried even harder and it was affecting her personality greatly. With a friend, walking after school one day, she saw tall boys playing in the basketball court. What did she decide to do? She charges in blindly with a camera in hand. ONE SHOT


**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, published by Shueisha. Nothing belongs to me, but my fanfics and OCs are mine.

**Author's Note**: I started this month or two ago and finally went around to finish it. Enjoy!

* * *

In a certain high school, a bright blue-eyed third-year girl with silver hair, which reaches the base of her neck, was in the computer lap room and doing her homework. Yeah. Homework. Or something like that. Since it school had just ended, she was the only one in the room. She stared at the screen normally and clicked on the mouse, typing away.

"Now…" she slowly smiled. She lifted up her right first finger and then harshly clicked on the mouse's left click. "UPLOAD!"

Apparently she was on YouTube and uploading a short video. She stared at the speed. It read: _Uploading your video. 32 minutes remaining_.

She flipped the keyboard angrily. "Why is the Internet suddenly so slow?!" she shouted in frustration. She had waited two whole days to use the computer at her school too. "It's only a-minute-long video! WHY HEAVENS?!" she looked up at the ceiling. Getting up from her chair, she ran to the window and slammed her fists on them. "Even I can't get popular on youtube?!"

"Hey, Naoto," an annoyed male's voice called. The silver haired girl looked back with puppy eyes. Out the door of the room stood a tall young man with brown hair, which was layered and some touched the base of his neck. And the color of his eyes was red. "Stop being so loud," he narrowed his eyes at her. "They are others who are doing _real_ homework nearby."

Both of their school uniforms were blue. While she was wearing hers correctly, his buttoned shirt revealed a gray tank top. Around his neck was a chained dog tag.

Naoto smiled uneasily and said, "Sorry, Tohru. Just uploading a video."

"I know," he looked at her rather coldly.

She smiled wider when she saw a digital gray camera in his right hand. "Tohru, when did you buy THAT?" she kicked the chair away and walked up to him.

He stopped walking as she almost slammed her body against his. "I didn't buy it," he said, patting her head harshly with his free left hand. She reached for his camera and he raised the gray digital camera into the air. "It's for a project."

"Can I see it?" she asked, reaching up with her left hand. She was even tiptoeing. When he looked at her disapprovingly, she whimpered and backed off with her hands behind her. "Please, please, please? It's not like I will break it." He just stared at her and she pouted, "Tohru?!"

"I know you won't break it, Naoto," he lowered his right hand. "I just think you'll get a crazy idea from touching it."

Naoto giggled, dancing in her spot. "Oh, I already have an idea!" she clapped her hands a few times. "It's just that I have no money to buy something like that! If I did have the money, I would have video recorded my exciting life and become popular on YouTube!"

"Yeah, I don't think so," he said, lightly chuckling now. He could not believe she was still trying to be popular. Before, he thought she would stop by the end of their second year together, but no, here they were. She was still the same from when he first met her during their first year. "Can't you just stand still once and a while, you silly girl. You don't have to—"

She pointed at him, staring determinedly. "No!" she said loudly. "My high school life is almost over and I have been doing NOTHING!"

He flattened his eyes, "I know, you spent their time doing completely nothing. You could have gotten yourself a part-time job to buy yourself a camera."

Naoto walked to him and he held up his camera again. "Please, just let me use it once!" she pleaded again, shutting her eyes while shouting.

Tohru annoyingly stepped back when her body leaned against his. "Naoto, stop," he frowned.

"PLEASE!"

Forty minutes later.

"Wow, this is so cool, isn't it, for those who are watching?" Naoto started to laugh happily. She was talking to the camera that was recording and walking with Tohru on the sidewalk. "IT'S SO HD!"

There was a summer breeze and the heat was bearable. Tohru sighed when Naoto was exaggerating a lot of things. She even went up close to a stranger's face. "Naoto," he called. He wanted to warn her where she was going because her eyes were only on the small screen of the camera.

But she did not hear him when she heard something loud hitting the fence and then the sound of a ball bouncing. Using the camera to see what happened, she saw tall men playing in the basketball court. "Oh holy!" she smiled widely. "Look at those hotties!"

"Naoto," he called again. She quickly took off and he slapped his face.

In the basketball court, Kuroko went to pick up the ball. He looked back slowly when Aomine and Kagami started to raise their voices.

"Could you not have caught that pass?" Kagami pointed to the ball angrily.

Aomine retorted, "You bumped into me!"

And soon the topic they were on got off topic. Kise wanted to get between them, but decided to stay by Midorima's side and could only nervously laugh.

Momoi was at the sidelines next to Akashi. She glanced to the redhead, "Akashi-kun… shouldn't we…?"

"I think those two need to let out what they're feeling first," Akashi told her calmly. "If they go on any longer than five minutes, I'll stop them."

Murasakibara frowned, standing on the other side of the court. "Geez… this is the third day you two have been arguing…" he rubbed the back of his head. Murasakibara was in need of snacks too, but he already ate all of them before.

"I don't even know why you have to be here!" Kagami grabbed Aomine's shirt.

Brushing him off harshly, Aomine almost swung his arm and hit someone nearby. Naoto ducked her head and had the camera on them. Everyone took notice of her and the court grew quiet.

She stood up and smiled, "This is an every day arguing between friends!"

"Who are you?" Aomine frowned at her.

"The question is, who are you?" she walked to Aomine and shoved the camera in his face.

Aomine was annoyed and she was only adding more into his temper. "Look—" he stepped forward.

Grabbing Naoto's shoulder, Tohru narrowed his eyes to Aomine. "Sorry, she had gone a bit mental," he said. "And I also apologize for intrusion. Carry on and fight."

Kagami and Aomine slightly had their heads cooled down and both gave Tohru a strange look. They did not even need Kuroko to calm them down now.

Naoto changed her camera view over to Kagami, but then she realized who the blonde behind Kagami was. "Whoa, is that Kise Ryouta!" she easily got out of Tohru's grip.

With a blink, Kise looked at her with a smile. "Um," his eyes followed her when she went around him with the camera. He noticed she was rather tall. Maybe a little taller than Kuroko.

Silently, Midomira moved away to gave them space. He rather not be bothered by the girl who popped out of nowhere.

"May I put your face on YouTube, Kise-sama?" she inquired, giggling happily. She stood in front of him and he shrugged. "Is that a yes?!"

"Hey!" Aomine exclaimed. "You didn't even ask for my permission!"

She looked back with a happy grin, "I'll blur you out, silly! No problem at all!"

That was not what Aomine wanted to hear. He actually wanted to say yes for some reason. "You little…"

It was then Tohru took the camera away and turned it off. Naoto gasped, "Tohru? Why?!" She reached out to it and he held it up high. "Can I at least keep that recording, please?"

Tohru gave her an annoyed look, "Will you just behave, Naoto?"

She pouted, "But…!"

A whistle was blown and everyone all looked to Akashi. "That's enough practice for today," Akashi told his friends. If this went on, the two strangers would only get in the way.

"Yay," Murasakibara lazily cheered, walking across the court over to Akashi and Momoi. "Anyone wants to go out to buy ice cream?"

Midorima pushed his glasses up and walked too. "I think I would like that," he said.

Naoto gave Tohru a slight angry look. He blinked and then she walked away. "Great," he mumbled. "She's mad at me again…"

She walked over to Akashi and studied him for a bit. Momoi looked at them both. "Um," Naoto smiled. "Do you guys hang here often?"

"We get together once and a while," he replied.

Naoto then looked at Momoi, "Really?"

"Of course," Momoi nodded with a smile. Naoto looked lonely and Momoi chuckled. "What's wrong?"

"Can I come and watch everyone when you're here again?" she inquired, lightly kicking up dirt.

Momoi glanced to Akashi for approval. He simply answered, "This is a public court. Anyone can come and watch, but I do not know we'll come here again. Perhaps another week or two."

"Aw, man," Naoto snapped her fingers.

Over to Tohru, he was just watching Naoto. But then Kuroko was standing in front of him and Tohru backed away with a sweat drop. "What?" Tohru stared at him coolly.

Kuroko shook his head, "Nothing." He was simply curious about the two strangers. They seemed a little older than him and his friends.

Tohru grunted uncomfortably and his eyes looked over to Naoto again. Akashi was now talking to her about something.

"You want to be popular?" Akashi questioned.

She nodded, "Yes! Any tips?"

"Um…" Momoi smiled awkwardly.

"Don't be popular," Akashi smirked. Naoto blinked at him and said nothing for a few moments. He lightly bobbed his head over to her right and she glanced in the same direction. Tohru saw them looking at him and he started to walk over to them. "Because if you do, you'll bring trouble for him," the redhead said.

"Trouble?" she gave him a confused face. "How could getting popular bring trouble to Tohru?"

Akahi only had a secretive smile on. Tohru grabbed Naoto around the neck with his left and narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you done yet?" he questioned. "I'll walk you home. And then I have to finish my video project as soon as possible."

"Fine!" she pouted, her hands trying to remove his arms around her neck. "I'll listen to you this time."

Tohru grunted and glanced to Akashi, who walked away without a word. Tohru hugged her head softly and her eyes looked up at him.

"Well then," Momoi smiled at the two of them. "We're leaving now."

Both Naoto and Tohru nodded, watching all of them leave first. "…You can keep your recording, Naoto," he said, removing his arm away from her.

She turned to him happily and clapped her hands. "Thank you!" she laughed. "Hurry, let's go to my house so I can get the data!"

He flattened his eyes and watched her run off. She was always excited and thinking of new ways to get herself where she wanted to be. The most popular girl in his heart was so naïve.

A week later…

In the computer room, Tohru was working on his video project. He was rather focused until Naoto tapped on his shoulder. She was just sitting to his right and he looked at her. "What?" he asked.

She was pointing to her computer screen. "Tohru… why are people sending me so many hate comments?" she looked at him with childish tears.

Tohru sighed heavily. "…Maybe you got too close to that model guy?"

"No fair!" Naoto stood up, crying. "This was not what I wanted!"

THE END


End file.
